The present invention is related to a network management apparatus connected to an information communication network and for operating/managing the information communication network in an autonomous manner, and also related to a network management system which is arranged by the network management apparatus and the information communication network.
Packet switching type information communication networks (hereinafter simply referred to as “networks”) known as IP (Internet Protocol) networks and the like utilized in enterprises are arranged by employing various sorts of network communication apparatus such as routers, switches, gateways, and access points. In order that these networks may function in correspondence with intentions of managers and/or users, these managers and/or users are required to set proper operations with respect to all of these network communication apparatuses.
There are such trends that currently available networks are constructed in large scales and have high functions. Accordingly, there are similar trends that sorts and amounts as to setting items of packet communication apparatuses are increased. As major setting items, the following setting items are conceivable: security setting items which are required to utilize external networks such as the Internet; network service setting items for guarantee bands which are used by application software such as VoIP (Voice over IP); operation management setting items as to charging, access logs, and monitoring.
As explained above, if the sorts and amounts of these setting items as to these packet communication apparatuses are increased, then the below-mentioned problems may occur in enterprises:    1. Increases in management costs (work time of managers) in connection with increases in work amounts of managers.    2. Delays in network service-in time in connection with increases of setting work time.    3. Increases in mis-setting operations in connection with increases in work contents.
The cause of these problems may be conceived by that complex setting works are increased in an explosive manner. For instance, there is such a case that in order to set security items with respect to an entire network, these security items must be set to almost all of packet communication apparatuses provided within a network, and on the other hand, work amounts of these security setting items are increased directly proportional to scales of networks. Furthermore, in another case that other setting contents such as routing and access controls must be updated in conjunction with the above-explained security setting operations, work amounts thereof are increased in connection with increases in sorts and amounts of these setting items.
In methods of US2003/0069947 and JP-A-2005-050302, setting works are automatically carried out with respect to communication apparatus so as to solve the above-explained problems.
Although the above-explained methods disclosed in US2003/0069947 and JP-A-2005-050302 can reduce work amounts of managers, physical configurations of networks must be determined in advance, and setting contents corresponding to the networks must be previously prepared by these managers. As a result, when the structures of the networks are changed and a failure happens to occur in the networks, the managers must perform setting works.
As changing factors as to the physical configurations of the networks, structures are expanded in a planning manner and failures happen to occur, which may frequently occur. Every time there occurs such an event as an occurrence of a failure or expansion of structure, managers must monitor the failure of a network, must investigate a topology of this network and then, must newly form a configuration definition so as to perform setting works. As a result, work amounts of the above-explained methods are still large.